Low Lights Gleaming
by FullstopBlaster
Summary: Daryl and Beth have found a safe spot for the night. They muse about where they go next.
1. Low Lights Gleaming

Low Lights Gleaming

"_We all have different timetables_ in reaching and realizing that being in healthy partnership is better than being on our own." Hill Harper

* * *

His silence is an eerie reminder of what they have lost. Their focus like their group splintered. "It bothers you doesn't it?" she asks.

Daryl turns to look into her eyes. "Nah, s'fine." He murmurs in that way he does. If he was anyone else she would have commented about his grammar, his pronunciation, but she does not. Sometimes he's extremely clear with his speech. Sometimes, when there's stuff on his mind, he's not.

"Are you sure?" The blonde he faces stands. The fire embers dying at their feet, holding her feet in the other direction.

"Yeah I'm fine." His head turns surveying around them. The sound, hissing and moaning, of walkers below them. The beings, once human like them, pawed at the rock trying with desperate abandon to reach the prize above. "Stick." He says turning back to her.

Beth reaches down lifting up the large stick and hands it over. She sits as he turns lowering the sharpened spear repeatedly down to kill those below. "How long do we stay here?" She asks as Daryl lowers the stick again into the waiting head of the next walker.

"What?" He turns a hand coming up to rub over his brow.

"Ho w long do we stay here?" Beth asks again as her hand reaches up to push a stray blonde hair behind her ears.

The hunter turns considering for a moment, as he dispatches two more walkers, before turning back to her. "This was just dumb luck this rock…but you're right we can't stay here." He points down the road. "This is the entrance to a sub division; we should be able to find some homes. Scavenge some supplies if we can.

Beth nods absently. "So one more night?"

He nods back "At least." He says before turning to the next walker. "How's them beans?"

"Hot." She says almost absently.

"How can you not like beans?" He asks.

Beth has to consider a moment as she uses a stick to push the can back from the edge of the embers. "I like beans." She shrugs.

"Sounds like there's a 'but' in there somewhere." Daryl muses and turns back looking one more time. Content everything below is not moving and silent he turns to sit, allowing the spear to lie between them on the rock, the bloodied pointed end facing him.

She shrugs. "These are in a can." She mutters and grabs out her knife. "Dad use to soak the beans, put them in the pot." She shakes her head. "Add this big scoop of brown sugar and some ketchup." Her eyes close in memory. "These just …"

"Don't compare." Daryl nods and scoots slightly near her grabbing the can and knife. He makes quick work of the lid and offers her the can. "eat what you can, I'll take what's left."

"Are you sure?" She asks hesitantly taking the silver canister from him.

"Yeah." He says looking out away from her, his eyes thinning, to focus on something in the distance.

"See something?" She asks, using a cracked plastic spoon to take a bite of the beans.

"Maybe." He shrugs and turns his head. "There." He points out into the distance. "Think it's a walker along that fence line."

Beth leans into his arm, using it to draw a line of sight as she takes another bite. "Yeah, is it caught in the barbed wire?"

"Most likely." Daryl sighs and shakes his head. "Where there's one…"

"There's more." She finishes for him before taking back her spot to his left. She takes another bite of beans and leans back.

Daryl doesn't speak, there's a hum of agreement though, and he's certain that more will be near that one walker. That fence is moving and so is the walker caught in it. "Could you hit it?" Beth asks. "With your bow I mean."

He shakes his head. "Too far, and besides I don't have many bolts left." He says. "They're getting brittle from overuse." She takes another bite and nods. "I think we'll just keep an eye on him."

Beth feels a bit better and scoots closer to the embers. "We have anymore wood?"

"Just the spear and I think we'll need that if we wanna get off this rock." He utters softly. The rock, three very large boulders that had been placed at the entrance to this subdivision to the country club, kept them safe. It was high enough the walkers couldn't climb it, but low enough they could still get down if needed.

"I mean you could get down and grab some more of that long grass down there." Beth suggests.

"You didn't camp much as a kid did you?" Daryl jabs.

"No." Beth smiles softly. "Campgrounds were too far away from the bar." She laughs. "That's what dad use to tell my mother."

Daryl's head shook lightly. "Well here's the deal. That stuff down there is great to get a fire going, but it's not going to sustain one. It'll burn to fast." He explains. "Just wrap up in the blanket and get some sleep." He suggests. "Maybe one of those houses will have coats."

Beth nods and puts the spoon down in the beans and extends the can to the hunter beside her. "Here…eat."

"Thanks." He takes the can in his hands and turns it over to look at the label. The yellow Labrador mascot on the can looks way to happy to be a real dog, ah the glories of photoshop. "Rest." He says and pushes the spoon down in the half full can and starts to eat his eyes watching the darkening world around them. "We got a lot to do tomorrow."

Beth gives him one last look. She wants to say more to him. To thank him for what he's done for her. Her mouth opens, but no words come to her. She closes her mouth and turns laying down, pulling the trash bag under her head, and the ratty hole filled blanket over her shoulders.

Daryl for his measure waits until her breathing has leveled out to chance a look at her. He smiles as he continues to eat his beans. He's endeared by her presence alone, though he would never actually tell her that. Once the can is empty he licks the broken spoon clean then uses the edge of his shirt to clean it off before popping the cracked white plastic utensil in a pocket of his vest.

He sets the can near the fire and then lies down on his back. His head resting over his small leather pack. He tucks his hands under his arm pits and tries to keep his fingers warm, and closes his eyes to try to sleep.

* * *

to be continued?

that's up to the readers and the reviews.


	2. Covet thy neighbor's chili

Low Lights Gleaming

Chapter 2: Covet thy neighbor's chili

"Love is a war of all for all. That is why we must covet our neighbors as ourselves." - Bauvard, Some Inspiration for the Overenthusiastic

You asked for it:

* * *

She shifted beside him quietly. "Why that one?" She asked.

"Look at it Beth." Daryl spoke softly pointing with his hand close to his body. "The whole place is boarded up from the inside. And there's all kinds of growth over that doorway. It's abandoned, walkers inside maybe, but that's our best bet for somewhere to lay low."

"I still don't see it."

"Well let me put it straight then." He sighed. "Go in kill walkers…it's already mostly secured, we could stay the night inside it." He explained. "Take what we need and get the hell out."

"And if there's people in it?" She asked skeptically.

"Then we leave em to their business." He knew any other answer wouldn't be acceptable for Beth. "Is that okay with you?" he asked when she hadn't responded.

"That's reasonable yeah." She nodded nervously.

Daryl sighed as he checked a bolt before lowering his bow to lock it into firing position. "Okay…lets go." He motioned to her.

They crossed the road and cut through a yard as they moved up to the two-story home. Daryl jumped the small 2 foot picket fence, that was more decorative than effective. Beth walked up and stepped over staying near him.

She looked back, always looking back, that's how they lived. "Clear." She said quietly enough for him to hear.

"Good come on." Daryl made his way onto the porch and moved up to the door. He leaned over and looked inside, but the decorative glass made it hard to get a clear picture of the inside of the home

He moved around to the side of the porch that wrapped around one side of the home. He gave a peek and motioned her around. "Clear." He said

Beth came forward and looked both ways, and once again; she glanced back. "Keep moving." Daryl said. "I got the rear." He insisted.

Beth steeled herself for what might be around the next corner. She found a fenced in backyard. The wood fence came to the edge of the house where the porch stopped meeting it. "Backyard looks clear." Beth said peeking over easily. "if we put our feet on the top we should be able to hop over.

Daryl nodded and came forward putting his foot between two of the chevron topped wood slats and then hopped over into the yard. He stood up and turned holding up his hand as he glanced around. "Come on." He murmured.

Taking his hand she nodded and then slowly came down off the fence with the archer's assistance.

Once beth was off the porch and into the back yard, Daryl took point and lead them around to the back door. "It's not boarded up." He said softly. Pulling his knife he knocked on the door. One – Two – Three. "Wait." He said calmly.

Five minutes and nothing, not even a sound. "How do we get in?" Beth asked.

"Grab the small knife in my pack." Daryl turned his back to her.

Beth opened the small zipper pocket and produced the Swiss Army knife and handed it to the hunter. "That one?"

"Yeah." Daryl handed Beth his bow and opened up the small knife and put it between the two French doors. He wiggled it back and forth a few times. "Nope." He sighed and then looked to the hinges. "Bolt's locked from the inside." He nodded and then started to unscrew the hinges of the door. "Once we get it off, we'll screw the door back on and re-bolt the fucker shut."

Beth gave an uneasy nod. "Hurry."

"Doing the best I can." It took Daryl five mintues to unhinge the door enough for them to squeeze through.

"Unbolt it?" Beth asked.

"Not yet …clear the house first." He said. "Nothing unloving can squeeze through it…and if there's walkers we'll need a way out." He whispered.

She nodded. "This way." She suggested. They walked around a staircase to the front of the house; it looked fairly normal, clean. If walkers had been in here ambling around there would have been some disruption. They moved to the dining room and then to the kitchen. Beth opened the refrigerator to find it empty. "Well that's better than I was expecting." She sighed and turned around. "What's that?"

"It's under the stairs…might be a basement." He said and walked over. Beth followed and grabbed the handle and he nodded before turning his bow into the doorway.

When Beth opened the door Daryl blinked, light from the kitchen flooded the space, it didn't lead to a basement. There in the space was a pantry full of canned goods. "We should clear the house." He said softly. "Then fix the door and we can come back here." He spoke as he silently coveted a can of chili on the shelf. "Yeah we'll come back to this." He said simply staring at the red can and it's large yellow font. He was transfixed for a moment, though he'd never admit it to anyone."Lets clear the upstairs." He suggested and closed the door giving that can one last longing look; hoping he wouldn't have to leave it behind.

* * *

The house took almost 20 minutes to clear. There had been one walker, in the upstairs bathroom; he'd gotten stuck inside the shower. Daryl quickly dispatched him and they drug his body outside. From the looks of him he'd been in there a long time, though they couldn't confirm this was the homeowner.

The next half hour was spent reaffixing the door to it's hinges and making sure that entrance was secure. All doors were double checked, as was the front of the house and the garage. They discussed two emergency escape routes and one meeting place should they be separated; that large rock where they had spent the last three nights.

The two sat on the kitchen floor backs up against cabinetry. Daryl's feet were beside her as she ate through a can of peaches. "Can we at least take the can opener?" She asked softly.

"Hell yeah" Daryl nodded and dug his spoon back into his chili. "My god-" he spoke through half chewed beans. "ugh…heaven."

"Chili?" She smiled but tried to keep to much levity out of her voice. He had a bad habit of asking if she was laughing at him.

"I was gonna fight you for the can." He admitted though Beth had trouble deciding if it was true or a joke.

"I'm good here." She said nodding to her peaches. "There are beds upstairs." She said softly, though there was hope in those words. Hope of normality if only for a while.

"Use one." Daryl said putting his eyes squarely back in his can as if he didn't care.

"Aren't you going to?"

"No." Daryl said and put the spoon in the beans. "I will sleep too hard…gotta stay awake or at least in a state where I'll wake up." He muttered.

"Oh." She said softly. "I understand…we can sleep down here in the living room…on the floor."

"I said you could sleep in the bed." Daryl looked up right as her eyes darted away. He figured she must not want to be alone. "Hey—I'm sorry look it's alright…that's fine." He nodded. "Living room floor." And it was agreed.

* * *

They sat together on the floor; Daryl repacking his bag and Beth reading a novel. "Find a new one?"

"Yeah I'll leave the other one here." She said. She didn't have much room in her pack, but she would pick a book up, and read it as they traveled. If she found another book, someplace else, which she liked she would leave the first and take it along. Daryl called it: The Apocalypse Library system.

"What's it about?" Daryl asked.

"A man whose life is getting turned upside down." She said softly. "Wife is leaving him, he's being blackmailed." She shrugged. "I've only read the first few chapters. "

"Sounds kinda familiar." Daryl admitted.

"How long will we stay here?" Beth asked lowering the paperback into her lap. "I mean there's a lot of food here…"

He sighed. "Two nights, it's all we can risk." He said soflty. "We'll make sure we eat before we leave though, and take some of the lighter stuff with us."

"I'll make sure to grab those two bags of rice." She said softly. "The cereal is full of meal worms."

"Yeah but you can still eat that…" his nose flared slightly realizing what he had said. "Ya know if you ain't got nothing else."

"I …I know… dad told me they wouldn't hurt me." She smiled and looked at the pages in her book, it was getting too dark to see the words. "We should get some sleep."

Daryl nodded in agreement. "Yeah… get some rest…" He insisted.

Beth lowered the book down into her bag and turned her back to the archer. She folded her hands together and slid them under her head as she lowered herself down to the soft pillow. Closing her eyes she said a silent prayer for their safety. She asked for her father to watch over her. She also hoped that Maggie and Glen were safe.

Silent prayers said, she drifted into sleep.

* * *

To be continued..


End file.
